Hanna Votes to Allow Americans to Keep Health Care Plans

Press Release

WASHINGTON-- U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna today voted in favor of allowing millions of Americans the opportunity to keep their health care policies in 2014.

The Keep Your Health Plan Act would allow plans available on the individual market today to be offered next year. The bill also would ensure that Americans keeping their plans would not face a penalty under Obamacare's individual mandate.

Across the country, millions of Americans are losing their health care coverage despite repeated promises from the White House that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. At least 100,000 individuals in New York State have received cancellation notices to date, according to the New York State Department of Health.

"The roll-out of Obamacare has been an unmitigated disaster," Rep. Hanna said. "I hear every day from individuals and small businesses in upstate New York who are having their insurance policies cancelled. Americans are angry and they have every right to be upset.

"I am hopeful that the Senate will take up the bipartisan "Keep Your Health Plan Act' so that those who want to keep their current coverage are able to do so. I look forward to working with my colleagues on health reforms that actually lower the cost of care and benefit patients and families instead of the government."

The Keep Your Health Plan Act would:

- Allow health insurance companies to continue to offer for sale in 2014, outside of the new insurance exchanges, those health policies in the individual market that were in effect as of January 1, 2013 -- thereby allowing individuals with such policies to keep them.

- Under the measure, those policies would be treated as a grandfathered health plan that satisfies the "minimum essential health insurance coverage" requirements set by Obamacare.

There have been numerous issues and delays with the website designed to allow people to sign up for new health insurance, HealthCare.gov. The site has experienced severe problems since its launch on Oct. 1 -- including crashes and freezes and the transmission of inaccurate information to both individuals and insurance companies -- which has made it difficult or nearly impossible for most individuals to set up an online account and shop for health plans.

Health insurance companies over the past few weeks started notifying individuals who previously purchased policies in the individual market that their policies are being discontinued and will terminate at the end of December. These individuals would need to re-enroll in new policies in order to avoid a break in coverage. The individual market serves an estimated 15 million persons who do not receive health insurance through their employers.

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